Rivalry Cruise
by Cookiekitten
Summary: May was hoping for a relaxing vacation onboard the S.S. Anne. However, the unexpected arrivals of Drew, Soledad, and Harley guarantee that the trip will be anything but tranquil! Contestshipping, Festivalshipping
1. Reunion Of Rivals

**I'm going to try to finish this story before starting on any others. I have too many fics going on at once... D:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

May heaved a small sigh of relief as she set her suitcase down on the bed, flopping onto the mattress tiredly. The trip from Hoenn to Kanto had exhausted her, enough so that the young brunette had nearly fainted from happiness when she had finally reached her destination: Vermillion City.

Or, to be more specific, the famous luxury cruiser, the S.S. Anne.

Despite the weariness taxing her body, the girl felt an energetic thrill of excitement replacing the aching tiredness in her bones. Finally, a relaxing vacation! Swimming, gourmet food, Wailord-watching, and fruit smoothies! No more worrying about contests, or responsibilities, or—

_Crash!_

May sat up, eye twitching. Whoever was in the room next to hers was making a terrible racket. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered her so much... However, after the long journey from Hoenn, the girl was feeling rather grumpy towards anything that might spoil her vacation.

The crashing sounds continued, prompting the coordinator to bury her head under a pillow to stifle the noise. After five agonizing minutes of this, May grabbed the nearest object, a television remote, and chucked it violently at the wall.

"Shut up over there!" she hollered, feeling a bit childish. The person next door was silent for a moment, before responding incredulously:

"_May_? Is that you, hon?"

May froze, body stiffening in horror. Was that who she _thought_ it was? Oh Arceus, _no_…

The sound of someone banging a fist against her door snapped the girl out of her thoughts and, with a resigned sigh, she slowly made her way to the door. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and found herself face to face with a familiar fellow coordinator. Long purple hair streamed down his back and one fist was raised in mid-knock. May stared.

Not only was it Harley, but it was Harley who, for reasons unknown, was wearing Soledad's exact ensemble. May blinked, vaguely wondering if she was having some kind of bizarre dream. After blinking a few more times and furiously rubbing her eyes, the girl reluctantly confirmed that this was reality. She sighed inwardly. So much for having a relaxing vacation.

Harley didn't seem to mind his rival's lack of enthusiasm. On the contrary, his face lit up and he lunged forward, pulling the girl into a bone-crushing hug. May squeaked in protest as the effeminate male twirled her around, happily singing—

"—It _is_ you! My little gingerbread cookie, I've missed you!"

May tried hard not to cry.

* * *

After Harley set her back down and halfheartedly apologized for his overenthusiastic greeting, May was surprised to find herself having a more-or-less civil conversation with her hated competitor. Harley, the brunette learned, often visited Vermillion City, due to its similarity to his hometown of Slateport, though this was his first time on the S.S. Anne.

"What about you, honey? What are _you_ doing here?" the purple-haired man asked, absently rubbing a metal file across his manicured nails. "I'm surprised you didn't bring any of your boy-toys along."

May rolled her eyes, ignoring that last statement. "I needed a vacation," she said simply. She opened her mouth to continue, but a dull growling noise suddenly erupted from her stomach. Blushing, the girl smiled sheepishly.

"Um… Sorry, but do you have any food?" she asked hopefully. Her expression quickly changed into one of alarm as Harley seemed to produce a basket of cookies out of nowhere. With an air of delight, he pulled out two cookies, human shaped, frosted to look like—

May and Drew.

The young girl's eyes softened, which did not go unnoticed by her older rival.

"Ahh, you miss your _boyfriend_, don't you?" he exclaimed, grinning widely.

"W-what? He's not my b-boyfriend!" May protested, flushing. She reached up to grab the cookies, but the older coordinator held them out of her reach.

_"May and Drew, sitting in a tree!"_ he sang, laughing cheerily. "_K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then_—Hey!"

With a stupendous effort, May suddenly leapt up and snatched one cookie, stuffing it into her mouth victoriously. Harley looked stricken.

"May! You just ate Drew!" he gasped. Holding up the remaining cookie, he began talking in a disturbingly passable imitation of May's voice:

"_Oh no! How dare you eat my Drew, you monster! My one true love is gone forever! Nooooooooooo—"_

The charade abruptly ended as May grabbed the other cookie from Harley and devoured it smugly. The purple-haired coordinator seemed to deflate slightly, pouting.

"You know," he said, sounding somewhat sad, "it took me a long time to frost those."

* * *

Harley wanted to spare the rest of his precious pastries from May's hunger, so he hopefully suggested that they might get something to eat at one of the S.S. Anne's restaurants. While the trip to the ship's dining area was initially uneventful, May was struck by surprise when a familiar redheaded woman walked by.

"Soledad?" the girl asked in amazement. The redhead did a double-take, her face brightening as recognition graced her features.

"May! You're here too, huh?" she exclaimed warmly. Her gaze shifted over to Harley and a nonplussed expression spread across her face.

"…Harley, why are you dressed like me?" Soledad asked finally. The male coordinator grinned, striking a dramatic pose.

"Call me _Harledad_, honey," he laughed cheerfully. He rushed forward again, but this time Soledad was the victim of his bear-hug. A small blush involuntarily spread across the woman's face as the purple-haired coordinator pulled her close, pressing his cheek against hers.

"We could be twins, don't you think, sweetheart? Aren't we _cute_ together?" Harley declared, grinning impishly at May, who was unsuccessfully attempting to stifle her laughter. Soledad, unable to escape, quickly sought for a diversion.

"Harley," she suggested in a strained voice, "don't you think that Drew should know that May is here too? Why don't you go tell him?"

May felt her eyes widen in shock. _Drew_ was here as well?

"Great idea, hon!" Harley agreed cheerfully. "After all, our two lovebirds shouldn't be without each other, right?"

Ignoring May's embarrassed sputtering, the purple-haired man finally released a relieved Soledad, dashing away with a cheery wave. The redheaded woman heaved a grateful sigh, before turning to May playfully.

"So, you and Drew, huh?" she said teasingly. May's head jerked up and the girl fixed Soledad with a withering look.

"Don't _you_ get started on that too! Harley is bad enough, Soledad. The last thing I need is for you to help his matchmaking schemes," the young girl growled. Her eyebrows furrowed and her gaze fell to the ground.

"I… I didn't even know that Drew was here," May said quietly. The older woman smiled sympathetically at her friend, though she couldn't resist poking fun one more time:

"You and Drew should go to the ball together, don't you think?" Soledad teased.

May nearly fell on her face.

"T-there's a _ball_?" she stammered. "I d-didn't know that there was going to be a ball! What am I going to do? I didn't even bring a dress—"

"May, don't worry," Soledad soothed, calming the brunette as best she could. "I brought an extra dress along. It'll be a little long, but it should fit you reasonably well."

The young girl flashed a relieved, grateful smile. "You're a lifesaver, Soledad," she admitted. "How can I ever pay you back for this?"

Soledad opened her mouth to reassure her companion that friends were _supposed_ to help each other… when a truly devious idea struck her. The red-haired woman put up one finger.

"There's only one condition, May," she said, smirking. "You have to go to the ball with Drew."

"But—"

"No buts!" Soledad said sternly. "You have to go with Drew, or else there's no deal."

May stomped her foot. "That's not an even trade," she protested, huffing. "I'll go with Drew… but only if _you_ go with Harley."

Soledad gaped. The two coordinators shared a heated glare, before clasping hands and smiling grimly at each other.

"Deal."

* * *

"…And then, she _ate_ the cookies! And she didn't even compliment them!" Harley cried, fake tears streaming from his eyes as a disinterested Drew looked on. "Luckily, however, I made plenty of extras! See?"

The green-haired boy looked up just in time to step back in alarm as two frosted cookies were shoved under his nose. He stared at the left cookie.

"…Is that supposed to be _me_?" he asked, dreading the answer. Harley nodded happily.

"Of course, hon! This one is _you_ and this one is _May_!" he chirped. The purple-haired coordinator then mashed the two cookies together, making obnoxious kissing sounds.

Drew rolled his eyes and walked away, flipping back his green hair. As he passed by a decorative vase of flowers, he swiftly plucked out a rose.

A red rose.


	2. Crazy Arrangements

**The alternate title of this chapter is 'Spunky, Seasick, Snarky, and Soledad.' See if you can tell who's who! xD  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

May smiled as a cool breeze blew by, ruffling her brunette hair. A small flock of Wingull flew by overhead, chirping happily as they soared past the cruiser. Soledad glanced up as well, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight. The red-haired woman seemed lost in thought for a short moment, but then turned back to her younger companion, eyes sparkling.

"I suppose I should explain how the ball is supposed to work," she said suddenly, raising her fruit smoothie to her lips. "It's simple, really. Everyone is allowed to participate in the ball, but there is a contest to decide who actually _leads_ the dance."

May blinked. "A contest?"

"It's a Pokémon contest, to be exact. No appeals—you and your dance partner just face off against another duo in a contest battle. It goes into finals and semifinals too, and the winning team gets to be the ball's 'King and Queen'."

The brunette nodded, absently sipping her own smoothie. She set her glass back down, glancing around the ship with a bemused expression on her face. Shaking her head, she leaned towards Soledad, lowering her voice.

"This shouldn't be very difficult, to be honest," she whispered seriously. "A lot of these people look as though they've never even participated in a contest before."

The older coordinator allowed her gaze to sweep over their surroundings. May was right, she realized ruefully. The two females were seated at a small table overlooking a decent portion of the ship's deck. The S.S. Anne was alive with activities and excitement, and the sun-bleached floors were crawling with excited pairs of trainers. While there was no lack of enthusiasm, it was clear that there was a general shortage of contest skill.

"That looks... painful," Soledad remarked unnecessarily, watching as a panicky young man rushed past their table, his jacket blazing with flames. A girl closely followed him, shrieking apologies, a bewildered Growlithe bounding at her heels. Sighing, Soledad pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. The metallic sphere cracked open with a bright flash of light, gathering the attention of nearby trainers.

"Lapras, use Water Gun!" the redheaded woman commanded as the blue Pokémon materialized, crooning its name. Rearing its head back, Lapras's mouth opened wide, dousing the flaming trainer with a controlled stream of water and effectively extinguishing him. Thick plumes of steam rose from the man's ruined jacket, and Soledad, thinking quickly, gave her Pokémon a new command:

"Now! Use Ice Beam on the water vapor!" she ordered, smiling. Lapras nodded, already aware of what its master wanted to have happen. A jagged beam of blue-white energy erupted from the Pokémon's open mouth, freezing the steam into a dazzling mist of snowflakes. The frozen particles seemed to hang in the air for a moment, sparkling, before the tropical heat returned to the air, causing the snow to fade away.

The girl with the Growlithe stumbled forward, wringing her hands nervously. "T-thank you so much! We tried to d-do a Flamethrower attack, but s-something went wrong and—"

Soledad smiled, waving away the apology. "Don't worry about it," she said reassuringly. The girl sighed in relief and bounced away, waving for her partner to come with her. The young man followed more slowly, mournfully examining the charred remains of his jacket.

"That was quite the show."

May, who had been playfully stroking Lapras, stiffened in recognition and shock. That voice...

Unable to restrain her curiosity, the brunette whipped around, eyes widening as she took in the person approaching them. Chartreuse hair, purple jacket, red rose in hand—

Drew.

There was an awkward silence. Soledad, a mischievous smile spreading across her face, hurriedly recalled Lapras. "I wouldn't mind stretching out my legs and exploring a bit, so I'll just leave you two to chat," she hastened to say, shooting May a meaningful look. The brunette glared at her.

"Soledad, don't you need to see Harley about something?" she asked sweetly, causing her older companion to cringe.

"I… I guess I do, don't I?" the woman sighed, biting her lip. "I'll see you later, May. Nice to see you, Drew—"

The red-haired coordinator trudged away, looking distinctly foreboding about something. Drew looked on, a mildly curious expression on his face.

"What was _that_ all about?" he asked, tossing his hair automatically. May immediately raised her hands defensively, waving away the question.

"It's n-nothing! Don't worry about it!" she quickly squeaked, sounding pathetically unconvincing. Drew raised an eyebrow.

"Here," he said finally, pressing the rose into her hand. A tiny tinge of pink spread across the girl's face as she accepted the flower, lifting it to her nose so she could breath its delicate aroma.

'_How am I supposed to ask him? Sweet Rayquaza, why did I even accept this deal?'_

* * *

"Why _me_?" Soledad sighed, her fist a mere inch from the door. Upon locating Harley's room, the female coordinator had spent a full five minutes agonizing over the horrors that likely awaited her inside.

She prayed to Arceus that Harley was not dressed like her anymore.

Resigning herself to the worst, the redheaded woman steeled her nerves and reluctantly rapped her knuckles against the wood, the sound echoing hollowly through the empty hallway.

No answer.

Soledad glared at the door, eye twitching ominously. Disregarding her normally calm demeanor, she curled her slender hands into fists, irritably pummeling the unfortunate door into oblivion—

_Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!_—

"What the _hell_? Leave me alone!" the purple-haired coordinator snarled from his room. His voice sounded stressed and slightly muffled, as though he had his head buried in a pillow. Soledad furrowed her eyebrows.

"Harley, are you okay? Can I come in?" she asked, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Soledad?" His tone became much friendlier upon recognizing her voice, but was still edged with traces of stress and irritation. "I'm sorry, hon… Let me unlock the door…"

There was a short pause in which the door was finally unlocked and opened, and Soledad stepped back in alarm upon finding herself face-to-face with a pale, sickly, and exhausted version of Harley. The male coordinator sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Motion sickness," he mumbled reluctantly. "It's ironic when you consider that I grew up in a harbor city, but… well, I tend to get seasick on a full stomach, honey."

"Ate too many cookies, huh?" the woman replied, trying to sound lighthearted. Her companion glared at her.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you? Why does _everyone_ make fun of my cookies?" Harley snapped. He was practically foaming at the mouth as he aggressively shoved a Wigglytuff-shaped pastry into Soledad's face. "Eat it! _Eat it_! They're _delicious_, damn it!"

Feeling rather frightened, the woman bit into the cookie and smiled. "Those cookies are pretty good, Harley! Now, I—" Soledad's sentence was abruptly interrupted as Harley burst into tears. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"You _h-hate_ them, don't you?" he cried, sobbing noisily into his hands. Soledad sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers.

"No, I _love_ them. They're great. I've never had such delicious cookies," she invented, rubbing her temples. Harley seemed to brighten immediately, and a girlish smile spread across his face so quickly that it was slightly alarming.

"You like them, sweetheart? I knew it! No one can resist _my_ cookies!" he smiled, posing victoriously. Seconds later, however, his face paled and he collapsed onto the bed, painfully rubbing his stomach.

"It _hurts_," he moaned. Soledad shook her head in a mixture of exasperation and pity.

"You've probably aggravated your stomach with all that screaming," she said, sighing. Absently, she reached into his cookie basket and blinked in surprise upon pulling out a very familiar looking pastry.

"Is this… _me_?"

* * *

"So, Drew, what are you doing here?" May asked, draining what was left of her fruit smoothie. She glanced at the rose in her hands and resisted the urge to inhale its sweet scent. Her male rival shrugged, carelessly tousling his green hair.

"I was hoping to get some good contest practice in," he said simply. His eyes swept around the ship's deck, focusing on the many practicing trainers. "It doesn't look like the competition is going to be very tough, though. Everyone here is a pushover."

"Hey!" May snapped hotly. "What about _me_? I'm no pushover!"

"What? You're participating too?" Drew asked, smirking. May snorted, angrily crossing her arms.

"I'm as good a coordinator as you are, and you know it!" she huffed, flashing a cheeky grin. Drew merely rolled his eyes.

"Keep dreaming. Do you even have a partner yet?" he asked. May froze.

"N-no, I don't. I… Well, I was actually going to ask you if…" the brunette stammered, going slightly red. "I was going to ask you if you'd like to be my partner."

Drew looked at her carefully. "You _are_ aware of how the contest works, right?" he asked finally. "The two who win the contest also have to lead the upcoming ball."

May nodded. She was staring at her rose, blushing, unable to meet his eyes.

"Soledad already explained everything to me," she said in a small voice. "I guess what I'm really asking is… Would you like to go to the ball with me?"


	3. Prove My Worth

**Many thanks to RedAsATomato for the adorable picture of the May and Drew cookies! :)****  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

The green-haired boy stared at her for a full ten seconds, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, he heaved a small sigh and fixed the brunette with a practiced look of superiority, carelessly flicking his hair out of his eyes.

"I guess I have no choice," he said, smirking slightly. "After all, your skills are too pathetic for you to get anywhere in the competition without my help."

If looks could kill, then Drew would be deader than Brock's chances of getting a date. "Why you—" May sputtered, going red. She resisted the urge to throw a mini-tantrum as the chartreuse-haired coordinator walked away, waving teasingly.

"I'll meet you at the registration office tomorrow. Try not to get lost on the way there, or anything like that," he called, glancing back in amusement before turning a corner and disappearing from sight. May ground her teeth together, clutching the rose tightly in her hand. For a moment, she made to throw the crimson flower to the ground, but thought better of it and sighed miserably.

_'I _am_ pathetic, aren't I? I can't even get myself to throw the stupid rose away…'_

Feeling rather dejected, the girl angrily whirled around, intending to return to her room. "At least he agreed. That's a start, I suppose," she admitted, dragging her feet as she trudged along. The bright lights illuminating the hallway did nothing to dissuade the gloomy cloud over her head, and the brunette bit her lip unhappily.

_'Does… does he really think that I'm hopeless? That I'm no good at coordinating?'_

Shaking her head, May angrily forced those thoughts out of her mind. Upon finally reaching her door, she unlocked it but hesitated to go inside. Her eyes flickered next door, at Harley's room.

"Soledad," she sighed, "I hope you're having better luck than I am."

* * *

The red-haired female stared at her cookie doppelganger, somewhat lost for words. Finally, nonplussed, she repeated her previous question:

"Is this _me_?" she asked again, holding the cookie up blankly. Harley looked up from where he was pouting into his pillow. His miserable expression seemed to brighten marginally.

"Oh—of _course_ it is, honey!" he chirped, flashing the woman a painfully forced smile as he rubbed his stomach. "I have cookies of all four of us. After all, we _are_ a happy family, right?"

As if to reinforce his statement, he then pulled out a Drew cookie, a May cookie, and –Soledad's eye twitched— a Harley cookie.

"May, I love you!" Harley sighed, holding the Drew cookie in one hand and the May cookie in the other. "Let's get married and have ten children!"

"What a great idea!" Cookie-May giggled, sounding disturbingly similar to the real May. "Oh, _Drew_! I love you, too! Hey, that rhymes!"

Soledad was mildly revolted as the two pastries continued to sweet-talk each other, before being mashed together (complete with obnoxious kissing sounds) and crumbling into a heap of sugary dust.

"And so, with May and Drew off planning their new lives together, no one stood in Harley's way and he proceeded to win every contest he entered," the purple-haired coordinator finished, making the Harley cookie dance on the pile of pastry crumbs on the mattress. "The end."

Soledad clapped her hands together as the man gave a dramatic bow. "Great story, Harley."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Harley grinned, clearly unaware of the note of sarcasm in Soledad's comment. The story seemed to have taken the male coordinator's mind off his seasickness, and the redheaded woman heaved a reluctant sigh.

_'I should ask him _now_, while he's still in a good mood…'_

"So," she began, attempting to sound casual, "you're entering the competition, aren't you?"

The purple-haired man stared at her as though she had grown an extra head. "Of _course_ I'm entering, hon," he said, sounding utterly bemused. Soledad forced herself to smile.

"You're going to the ball as well, right?" she pressed, trying not to sound too interested. Excitedly, her companion jumped up, pulling out a massive suitcase and rummaging through it feverishly.

Soledad twitched. A massive… _pink_… suitcase. Oh Arceus, what was she getting into?

"I was _so_ excited when I heard about the ball! I bought the perfect outfit… Tada!" He whirled around, holding the outfit up for the red-haired woman to see.

Soledad twitched again. A fancy, elegant, lavender-colored… dress.

_'Dear Rayquaza, what have I done to deserve this?'_

"Harley, I was thinking," she began distractedly, feeling rather keen on changing the subject. "May and Drew are going together, so I was wondering if… if you'd like to be _my_ partner."

Harley blinked. Then a genuine smile spread across his face, and he dove into his suitcase again.

"I'd _love_ to, honey! I have the perfect thing for you, too!" he chirped, resurfacing and shoving something into Soledad's arms. The woman held it up and furrowed her eyebrows. A suit.

She sighed, feeling a headache beginning to build in her temples.

"Thanks, but… I was going to wear the dress that I brought," she said finally, trying to be mindful of Harley's feelings. The purple-haired man bit his lip.

"It'll look odd if we're both wearing dresses," he sighed, fixing the woman with a pleading look.

"Well… Why don't _you_ wear the suit, then?" she insisted desperately.

"I _would_, but… the dress looks better on me. Can't you wear it, just for the ball? For me? _Please_?" he begged. His bottom lip was trembling and he looked to be on the verge of tears. Soledad groaned inwardly. Although instinct was urging her to decline, the pathetically piteous look on the male coordinator's face had depleted her willpower.

"Fine," she mumbled, tucking the suit under her arm. She squeaked in alarm as Harley rushed forward, hugging her with such energy that she was lifted off her feet.

"You _will_? Oh, how can I _ever_ thank you, honey? Wait—" Soledad suddenly found herself with a large basket of cookies in her hands. "—I know! The cookies make me seasick, so you can enjoy them for me! Go on, take them, sweetheart!"

"Thanks," the woman panted, awkwardly balancing both the basket and the suit in her arms. Muttering a hasty goodbye, she pushed open the door and hurriedly stumbled out of Harley's room, keen on escaping before any more gifts would be forced on her person. She stood in the hallway for a moment, mourning the recent turn of events, before dashing to the next room and pounding on May's door.

* * *

May looked up, biting back an angry snarl with considerable difficulty. She had just finished placing Drew's rose in a fresh glass of water when someone began knocking on her door with irritating determination.

"I do _not_ need this right now," the brunette ground out as the knocking persisted, wearing down her rapidly thinning patience. A rude insult was already forming in her mind as the girl stormed across the room, violently yanking her door open to reveal—

—Soledad. May blinked, a small feeling of shame rising in her heart as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry," she stammered, knowing that the angry way she had opened her door had probably alerted her friend to her less-than-happy mood.

Sure enough, Soledad looked slightly wary as she crossed May's room, placing a large basket of cookies and what looked like a suit onto the bed. A Drew cookie tumbled out of the basket and onto the mattress, scattering crumbs everywhere. May grabbed the pastry and angrily beheaded it, laughing evilly.

"So," Soledad began shrewdly, a rueful smile tugging at her lips as the brunette proceeded to devour the now headless Cookie-Drew. "From that senseless demonstration of violence, can I deduce that things didn't go very well?"

"Brilliant conclusion, Detective," May grumbled, wiping bits of frosting off her fingers. Then, she sighed in frustration. "Drew accepted, but he's so arrogant all the time! I can hardly stand it!"

Her red-haired companion coughed pointedly, lifting the suit off the bed and holding it up for May to see. "At least _you_ don't need to wear a suit to the ball."

The brunette stared at her blankly. "Soledad, wait. You're wearing a _suit_? Then what's _Harley_ wearing?" she asked, looking almost afraid to learn the answer. Soledad's eye twitched.

"…A dress."

There was a moment of mortified silence. Then May burst into a hysterical fit of laughter, burying her face in her hands. Soledad stared at her for a moment before breaking down and giggling as well, shaking her head in half-hearted despair.

"I still think that _I've _got it worse," May choked out, wiping tears out of her eyes. "At least Harley is nice to you. Drew still treats me like I'm a rookie."

Soledad flashed her friend a teasing smile. "It couldn't have gone _that_ badly. After all, he gave you a rose as a love gift."

"Oh yeah? Well, Harley gave _you_ a basket of cookies, didn't he?" May retaliated, smirking in victory.

The redheaded woman blinked. "…Ouch. I forgot about that."

* * *

Drew stood by the S.S. Anne's deck, surveying the other trainers while eating a large bowl of fruit sherbet. Suddenly and without warning, he sneezed explosively, splattering an unfortunate Roselia with sticky syrup.

"_Rose, roselia_!" the Pokémon squeaked indignantly. The green-haired boy grinned apologetically.

"Sorry 'bout that, Roselia," he smiled. Then, his expression became much more serious. "Either someone's talking about me… or I just inexplicably became allergic to pineapple."

* * *

Now that Soledad was no longer there to distract him, Harley had fallen back into his stupor of seasick-induced misery. Cacturne and Banette looked on unhappily as their master flopped onto the bed, moaning into his pillow.

"_Banette. Banette, bane_," the marionette Pokémon murmured reassuringly, patting Harley's shoulder. It stepped back in alarm as the purple-haired coordinator gave a violent sneeze.

Harley burst into fresh tears. "I'm already _seasick_! Isn't that enough?" he sobbed. "What _else_ is wrong with me?"

Cacturne and Banette glanced at each other and quickly looked away, not wanting to answer that question.

* * *

"The contest registration and preliminaries begin tomorrow," Soledad stated, tucking her suit and cookies back under her arm as she stood up to leave. "I'll probably see you and Drew tomorrow… but just in case I miss you guys, I hope everything goes well."

"Thanks. Good luck to you, too," May yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "You're going to need it, since Harley's your partner."

Soledad merely laughed as she waved goodbye to her friend, though her smile looked a little strained. As the redheaded woman carefully shut the door behind her, May collapsed onto her bed and sighed.

"I'll show you, Drew," she muttered, half-heartedly pounding her pillow. "Just you wait! I'll show you what a great coordinator I've become!"

_'I'll show you that you can see me as your equal!'_


	4. Hidden Feelings

**Sorry about the delay, guys. Here's the fourth chapter! Thanks so much for your support! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

The fact that his seasickness finally passed had lifted Harley's mood considerably, and the purple-haired man was cheerfully making his way down the S.S. Anne's brightly lit halls when the sound of pounding footsteps made him pause. Hesitantly, the male coordinator rounded the corner and promptly smacked into a panicking and sprinting May. The brunette squeaked and landed on her rear while Harley stumbled as well, nearly squashing May as he fell backwards into a potted hibiscus in the corner.

"S-sorry," May panted, though a grin was already pulling at the corners of her mouth as she watched her rival grumpily brush dirt off his clothes. Slightly embarrassed, the girl rubbed the back of her head and reluctantly whispered, "Harley, I'm… lost. Do you know how to get to the registration office?"

"Of course I do, honey. That's where I'm heading. I'll take you there right now, so Drew doesn't get worried about his darling little girlfriend—"

May squeaked and glared angrily at Harley, which was largely ineffective since the purple-haired coordinator towered over her by at least a foot. "Don't you _dare_!" she hissed, practically foaming at the mouth. "Drew already told me not to get lost on the way there, and the last thing I need is for him to rub it in my face!"

Harley blinked, before smiling teasingly. "Aww," he cooed, reaching over and pinching May's cheek, "he's just worried about you, sweetheart! He doesn't want anything to happen to you."

The brunette rolled her eyes and smacked his hand away. "Yeah right. It's more like he's just looking for more opportunities to make fun of me."

"May," Harley said firmly, "I'm sure Drew thinks very highly of you."

* * *

"I bet May got lost," Drew remarked boredly, while he and Soledad waited in the registration office with the other participants. "Harley's either powdering his nose or plotting to take over the ship."

His female companion smiled. "You're probably right," she chuckled, shaking her head ruefully. She glanced at the green-haired boy and raised an eyebrow upon catching sight of his right hand, which was clenched around a rose. Drew caught her knowing expression and quickly looked away, running his fingers through his chartreuse hair while a pink tinge spread across his cheeks.

"She's desperate to prove herself to you, Drew. You know that, right?"

Drew looked up in surprise and frowned in confusion upon reading Soledad's expression, which was now one of seriousness. "What?"

The red-haired coordinator heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, come on. Can't you see that she likes you, a _lot_? May hates the fact that you don't acknowledge her as an equal."

The boy furrowed his eyebrows. "The things I say to her… She doesn't take them seriously, does she?" he asked.

"Drew, she takes everything you say seriously."

Drew looked at his female companion for a moment, his face darkened by something that almost resembled regret. Then, it cleared and he turned away pointedly, his voice regaining its usual arrogant tone. "It's not my fault that May exaggerates everything," he muttered, glaring at the floor. Soledad watched him for a moment, looking slightly sad.

Seconds later, however, she and the other occupants in the room glanced up in alarm as the sound of two arguing voices approached from behind the closed doors. While most of the other trainers looked confused, Soledad and Drew immediately stiffened upon recognizing the voices.

May and Harley.

Drew gritted his teeth, unknowingly tightening his grip on the rose and wincing as the thorns bit into his skin. He absently fingered Roselia's Pokéball as if debating whether or not to order an attack on the purple-haired man, which did not go unnoticed by Soledad. The redheaded woman comfortingly squeezed his shoulder.

"Drew," she whispered soothingly, though her voice was traced with warning.

"If he's tried to sabotage May again…" he growled, glaring at the door as the angry voices grew closer. Soledad sighed.

"I know, but you'll be disqualified if you attack someone, and then May wouldn't have a partner."

Drew merely snorted in response, though his tense posture seemed to relax slightly. Everyone in the room started in surprise once more as the door suddenly burst open, revealing May and Harley, who seemed to be in the middle of a heated debate. Now that they were in the same room, Drew found that he could clearly understand their angry words:

"Dream on, hon! Cacturne with a laser gun would beat Robo-Munchlax any day!"

"Shut up! Robo-Munchlax and Mecha-Squirtle would _dominate_ anyone from your pathetic team!"

Drew resisted the urge to order Roselia to annihilate the two of them.

* * *

May and Harley's pointless bickering lasted an additional five minutes before they both glanced up and realized that everyone was staring at them. The young woman at the registration desk wore an unmistakably wary expression as she signed the four coordinators up and handed them ID cards. A massive television overhead displayed a large bracket full of competitors, and they watched as their names and pictures popped onto the screen, showing who they'd be battling. Harley spouted a distinct display of unhappiness upon seeing his and Soledad's opponents.

"Just _look_ at them!" he cried, huffing indignantly. "Those two trainers have absolutely no sense of fashion! What kind of person wears a Mightyena costume, anyway?"

May snorted, fingering the rose that Drew had silently pressed into her hands minutes ago. "Oh, of course. They're utterly different from you, Harley."

"Shut it, sweetheart."

The first four battles of the competition passed quickly, the winners returning to the waiting room while the losing teams gloomily joined the audience. Soledad and Harley were called out for the fifth round and dashed onto the stage-like battle area, flanked by their opponents, who were both wearing Mightyena outfits.

"Send out your Pokémon!" cried the announcer, none other than the cheerful Lilian Meridian, who often commentated the Kanto region's contests. "Coordinators, let's get this battle moving!"

Four metallic spheres were thrown into the air, and flashes of crimson light burst out as the Pokéballs released their inhabitants. Slowbro and Wigglytuff emerged from Soledad and Harley's side, while their opposition sent out two wolf-like Mightyena. The Dark-type creatures snarled fiercely, prompting Wigglytuff to swell in anger and Slowbro to emit a tired yawn. Lilian raised her hand, smiling in anticipation.

"Begin!"

Soledad began to ready a Confusion attack, but suddenly paused, realizing that it wouldn't work. Psychic attacks had no effect on Dark-type Pokémon. The split-second hesitation was not missed by the Mightyena, and both of the wolf-like creatures dashed towards Slowbro, slavering jaws cracking open to unleash a set of vicious Crunch attacks.

"Wigglytuff, intercept them!" Harley ordered suddenly, and the balloon-like Pokémon hurtled forward with surprising speed, its pink body expanding as it rapidly inhaled air. Though the Crunch attacks were interrupted before they could be fully prepared, Wigglytuff still winced as the sharp fangs grazed its belly, thankfully not piercing the elastic-like skin. The two Dark-types bounced backwards, undaunted.

Drew rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he and May watched the match on the overhead television. "It's not like Soledad to make a mistake like that. There must be something on her mind," he remarked cooly.

"Yeah, maybe." May's eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern, and the girl returned her gaze to the screen, frowning slightly.

The Crunch attacks had lost Soledad and Harley a small chunk of points, but the error had given the redheaded coordinator an idea. Quickly, she turned towards her purple-haired partner, who was frowning as he assessed the situation. "Harley, I've got a plan! Order Wigglytuff to expand itself again!"

Harley looked confused but still complied, and the balloon Pokémon began to swell as it sucked in air, clumsily dancing around any oncoming attacks. Swiftly, Soledad called out her Slowbro's name, and the Psychic-type glanced up tiredly.

"Now, Slowbro! Use your Psychic attack to turn Wigglytuff into a living cannonball!"

"Honey, you've got to be kidding me," Harley murmured, though his eyes widened in awe as Slowbro obeyed, concentrating hard as a bluish aura surrounded Wigglytuff and lifted it into the air.

"_Slowbro!_" the creature huffed, bringing its paw-like hands forward and closing its drooping eyes in concentration. The effect was instantaneous, and Wigglytuff shot through the air like a bullet.

"_Wigglytuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuff!_" the balloon Pokémon shrieked as it collided head-on with the first Mightyena, its flexible and stretchy body allowing it to bounce back into the air unharmed. The second Mightyena yelped in surprise and attempted to dash away, but a second Psychic attack sent Wigglytuff hurtling across the battlefield once more, effectively flattening the Dark-type. Both Mightyena collapsed, unconscious. The overhead scoreboard suddenly beeped, prompting Soledad to look up. Blinking, the woman watched as their opponent team's points dropped to zero.

"What an amazing display of teamwork and resourcefulness!" Lilian cheered as the audience burst into wild applause. "Soledad and Harley are the winners and will advance to the next round!"

The red-haired coordinator hummed in relief and recalled Slowbro, whose brief period of action seemed to have caused it to fall asleep. Wigglytuff disappeared into its Pokéball as well, and Soledad sighed happily, turning to face Harley. She was not surprised to find a goofy smile on his face, and she was not surprised when he hugged her, laughing playfully.

She _was_ surprised, however, when he leaned forward and planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

* * *

May impatiently paced around in a circle as Drew watched in slight amusement. Finally, the doors opened and the brunette excitedly rushed over as Soledad and Harley reentered the room. "You guys were _awesome_!" she squealed.

Harley grinned in reply, but Soledad merely nodded, looking rather lost in thought. The redheaded woman was blushing slightly and May, noticing this, smiled mischievously. There was a small silence between the four coordinators, which was broken when the purple-haired man sighed and mumbled, "I'm kind of hungry."

Drew gestured vaguely with his hand. "That table over there has sandwiches and cookies," he said carelessly. Harley stared longingly at the cookies, frowning.

"But… but the cookies will make me sick."

"Then stop complaining."

The purple-haired coordinator huffed and pointedly walked away while Drew merely rolled his eyes and turned to watch the next battle on the overhead screen, leaving the two females alone. May giggled.

"Was that the first time he's ever kissed you, or are you two secretly dating behind everyone's backs?" she teased, though her voice was low enough so that only Soledad could hear her. The redheaded woman whipped around in shock, aquamarine eyes widening as the blush returned to her cheeks.

"_May_!" she hissed, sounding uncharacteristically frazzled. The younger coordinator opened her mouth to reply, but her words were interrupted as the other occupants of the room began to clap and cheer, signifying that the latest battle had ended. Sure enough, Lilian's voice suddenly boomed through the air, magnified by numerous speakers throughout the ship.

"_And now for the eighth and final battle of today's preliminaries! Teams 15 and 16, please take the stage!"_

Drew stared at the overhead screen and then reflexively checked his ID card, which was stamped with a large number 16. The green-haired boy gestured to his brunette partner. "Let's go, May."

May nodded and waved at Soledad, who smiled encouragingly, before following Drew through the door and into the battle area, waving at the audience as she passed. Her hands clenched into fists and the girl took a deep breath. This was it! She was going to show her Drew her skills!

"Coordinators, please release your Pokémon!" sounded Lilian's voice, and May pulled out Squirtle's Pokéball and hurled it into the air. The turtle-like creature emerged, jumping about excitedly. Another flash of red light lit the stage and Drew's Absol leapt out to join the Water-type, tossing its horned head proudly.

Their opponents, a brown-haired young girl and a boy with a shock of crimson hair, released their Pokémon as well. From the two Pokéballs came a Dodrio and a Donphan, both looking eager to battle. The female announcer's voice rang through the air once more, the atmosphere thick with anticipation and excitement.

"Begin!"

* * *

During the first two minutes of the battle, Drew and May quickly learned that their opponents' strategy was to overpower the enemy with speed. Dodrio was extremely fast, as was Donphan with its Rollout attack, and it was all Squirtle and Absol could do to avoid getting hit.

The chartreuse-haired coordinator gritted his teeth as a Fury Swipes attack narrowly missed Absol, the disaster Pokémon evading Dodrio's talons by a scarce inch. May's Pokémon was having trouble too. Though Squirtle had an obvious type-advantage over Donphan, the Ground-type was moving too fast to allow the turtle-like Pokémon to launch a counterattack. Swearing under his breath, the green-haired boy racked his brain in desperation, emerald-colored eyes narrowed as he stared at the stage.

Then it hit him. The other team's Pokémon were fast, but their maneuverability would be greatly reduced if they were forced to adjust to a sudden drop in traction. Swiftly, Drew turned towards his partner, who was frowning and biting her lip. "May!"

The brunette whipped around eagerly. "Yeah?"

"Have Squirtle use Water Gun and Ice Beam on the floor!"

The girl understood instantly, and her look of concern was replaced by one of confidence. "Got it! Okay Squirtle, you heard him! Use Water Gun and Ice Beam!" she cried, and the Water-type obeyed at once, spewing a tall fountain of water from its mouth.

At the same time, Absol leapt into the air, the horn on its head beginning to glow as it readied an attack. Squirtle then unleashed a powerful Ice Beam, which instantly froze the massive puddle on the stage into a slippery sheet of ice. The reflection of the stage lights on the frozen water blinded Dodrio and Donphan as they rushed in to attack Squirtle and, with two startled cries, they slipped and fell as their clawed feet came in contact with the slick ice. The enemy Pokémon slid past the Water-type, missing by a good four feet, and Drew then called out Absol's command:

"Now, Absol! Use Razor Wind!"

"_Absol!_" the disaster creature roared, violently unleashing the attack in midair, the horn on its head releasing a massive crescent-shaped slash of wind. The attack hit both Pokémon at once, sending them flying over the stage and landing in a heap, out cold.

The audience exploded into excited cheers, over which Lilian's voice was hardly audible. "What an incredible combination!" the female announcer cried shrilly, positively glowing in excitement. "May and Drew are the winners of this battle and will move onto the next round, which will begin tomorrow! Congratulations, coordinators!"

May giggled and bounced on her heels as the crowd unleashed another series of wild cheers. Drew was more composed, calmly flicking his hair out of his eyes, though his lips were curling into a proud smile. May grinned at him briefly, before running out onto the stage to hug Squirtle.

However, the brunette had clearly forgotten about the ice still covering the floor.

As her sneakers came in contact with the frozen surface, the female coordinator immediately lost balance. Panicking slightly, she wobbled backwards and would have fallen if Drew hadn't dashed forward, catching her in his arms.

The green-haired boy blushed, blood rushing to his face. He hurriedly helped May regain her footing, pointedly turning away as the brunette, also blushing, stammered a few words of thanks. He sighed, trying to regain his composure. "Just be more careful," he muttered, still red in the face.

May smiled. His tone was as neutral and careless as ever... but the blush on his face spoke otherwise.


	5. More Than Just Friends

**Things are getting interesting now...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

Soledad sighed contently as the gentle wind teased her long hair, the coral-colored locks swaying in the morning breeze. She nibbled at her fruit salad, spearing small pieces of apple, strawberry, and watermelon with her fork and happily popping them into her mouth. A spark of amusement lit up her eyes as she glanced at May, who was enthusiastically demolishing a plate of chocolate-chip pancakes. The brunette paused, looking up at her companion as she spooned a generous dollop of whipped cream onto her breakfast.

"What?"

"It's nothing. Just thinking, I guess." The older coordinator briefly closed her eyes, stretching her arms above her head with a small yawn. May noticed, frowning slightly, that the redhead looked uncharacteristically tired. The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in concern.

"You look a little worn out," she stated bluntly, leaning her elbows on the small table that they were seated at. Her red-haired companion smiled, looking almost sad as she lightly rubbed her eyes.

"Early mornings don't usually bother me, May," she said ruefully. "But last night… Well, I guess I just had a lot on my mind, because I was tossing and turning for hours." The younger coordinator merely giggled in response.

"I'll bet I know what you were thinking about! Or should I say, _who_ you were thinking about?"

"Hey, look who's talking. I'd bet almost anything that a certain green-haired coordinator was occupying _your_ thoughts last night."

"N-no! That's not true!"

"What's not true, hon?"

Soledad nearly fell out of her chair as her male partner seemed to materialize out of thin air, leaning against her chair and playfully covering her eyes with his hands. "Guess who, sweetheart!" he chirped.

"Harley, what are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Soledad sputtered, distractedly shoving his hands away as May burst into a small fit of giggles. The purple-haired man frowned and a disappointed look spread across his face.

"How did you know it was me?" he pouted.

"To be perfectly honest, it wasn't too hard to figure out."

Harley, looking a bit deflated, distracted himself by leaning over Soledad and helping himself to the woman's unfinished fruit salad. He paused suddenly, a plump strawberry halfway to his mouth, and glanced down at his red-haired partner. "Strawberry?" he offered sweetly. Soledad forced herself to smile, feeling rather annoyed that he had just offered her part of her own breakfast. She shook her head politely.

"It's good," he cooed, prodding her cheek with the piece of fruit. Desperately, Soledad turned her eyes towards May, who was now shaking with silent laughter.

"Hi, Harley. Where's Drew?" the brunette managed to choke out, attempting to stifle her giggles as Soledad glared daggers at her. Her green-haired partner, May noticed, was nowhere to be seen. The corners of her mouth dropped slightly and she felt her shoulders sag, wondering where he was.

Harley blinked. "Aww, don't be like that, hon," he sighed, sounding almost exasperated. "Your boyfriend just went to get breakfast. He'll probably be here any minute now—"

"Drew's not my boyfriend!"

"It doesn't do you any good to hide your feelings, sweetheart—"

"Get it through your girly purple head, Harley! Drew is _not_ my boyfriend!" May snapped angrily. In the heat of the moment, she suddenly grabbed a fork and stabbed her last pancake, hurling it in the purple-haired coordinator's general direction. The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion:

Harley, his face whitening as the breakfast-missile approached him, hurriedly dived for cover and, in the process, upturned Soledad's chair. The redhead squeaked in shock as she tumbled to the ground and landed on her purple-haired partner, who swore loudly when her elbow dug into his stomach.

May could only blink in surprise as the pancake continued to sail through the air, uninterrupted, before—

_Splat!_

And Drew, who had just purchased a plate of waffles and was about to join the group, had no time to react before the syrupy pastry connected with his face.

Silence. Then—

"Drew!" May shrieked. She could feel her cheeks burning in embarrassment as she rushed over to her partner. The green-haired coordinator gingerly peeled the pancake off, his face splattered with whipped cream and melted chocolate.

"I was going to eat breakfast with you guys… but if this is the kind of reception I'm going to get, then I think I'll pass," he stated finally. May shook her head furiously.

"N-no, it's not like that! It w-was an accident and I didn't see you and… Oh, Drew, I'm s-so sorry!" The brunette, feeling the need to rectify her mistake, grabbed her glass of water and dunked a cloth napkin into it, squeezing out the excess moisture and dabbing Drew's face, still squeaking apologies.

And, by some cruel twist of fate, the person who then walked up and caught sight of the chaotic situation was Lilian Meridian.

* * *

There was a mortified silence as the female announcer stared at the four coordinators, nonplussed. Her eyes swept from May, who had paused in the process of attacking Drew's face with the damp napkin, to Harley and Soledad, who were still slumped on the floor like a couple of dead bodies. The inevitable happened, and Lilian then burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"I wanted to congratulate you all on your performances yesterday," she laughed, wiping tears out of her eyes. "Not like I wasn't expecting the best from you four, of course."

May smiled in slight embarrassment. "Thanks, Lilian."

The announcer smiled in response before quirking an eyebrow and teasingly adding, "You surprised me at the end of your battles, though—I hadn't realized that you had all _gotten together_."

May and Soledad both went red and their jaws dropped in protest, though neither seemed to have anything to rebuke Lilian's comment. Luckily, Drew then took the time to bail everyone's ass out of the fire, evasively asking, "When do we need to make our way back to the stage?"

Lilian blinked and, after checking her watch, took on a panicky expression. "Oh, I've spent too much time talking here!" she fretted, pacing back and forth. "The competition begins in an hour and I still need to set out the tables and the cookies and—"

"I can help with the cookies, hon," Harley interjected with an enthusiastic smile. Lilian brightened slightly. "Sure, that would be great! There are a bunch of boxes in the waiting room that are full of cookies. Do you mind unloading them?" she asked with a smile.

Harley grinned and bounced away with a cheery, "Sure thing, honey!" The female announcer shook her head in amusement, turning to Soledad with a wink.

"He's cute, don't you think? Completely insane, but cute nonetheless."

Soledad coughed. "Whatever you say," she sighed. The redheaded woman then focused her gaze on the empty space next to May, frowning. "Hey, where did Drew go?"

"I… I think he left to wash the pancake off his face," the younger coordinator admitted, obviously still feeling guilty. Wanting to change the subject, the brunette quickly added, "Is there anything we can do to help with the competition, Lilian?"

"Well… If you two want to hike on over to the stage with me, I'd appreciate it. I still need to make sure the battle area is clean."

The female coordinators shrugged and nodded, before following Lilian down into the S.S. Anne's halls. A few minutes of silence passed before the announcer glanced behind her, the expression on her face bright with playful curiosity. "Enlighten me, if you will," she said, lifting one eyebrow. "How long have you two liked your partners?"

Oh, _Arceus_. May, grinding her teeth together, angrily stomped her foot and snarled, "Drew is not my boyfriend! Why does no one seem to understand this?"

"...Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! I—" The girl suddenly paused, frowning as she took in Lilian's words. "What gave you this idea in the first place?"

The announcer smiled slightly and ruefully rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry," she sighed, absently combing a hand through her hair. "It's just that I've seen you four so often that I feel like I can gauge your emotions fairly accurately. Especially after yesterday, it seems pretty easy to see the feelings you two have towards Drew and Harley."

"Great, now you're a psychic, Lilian? You should head over to Saffron and challenge Sabrina."

"Well," the announcer giggled, "I'm no psychic, but when you see as many coordinators as I do, you learn a lot about reading people's emotions. But in all honesty, you four are the most impressive contenders in this entire competition. Combine that with the fame you've already gathered throughout Hoenn and Kanto, and you'd be surprised at the number of fans you guys have!"

The auburn-haired woman paused for a moment, before turning back to the coordinators and adding seriously, "If you don't make a move on your partners, then someone else will."

* * *

May was frowning as she paced around the waiting room, her footsteps echoing hollowly throughout the space, which was now nearly empty. She glanced at Drew, whose eyes were glued to the overhead screen which displayed the current battle. At this point it seemed obvious that Soledad and Harley would be victorious, as their points were still high while the couple they were facing looked to be in a severe situation, their Flareon and Crobat unable to keep up with Lapras and Octillery's combined attacks. Sure enough, Lilian's voice rang through the air less than a minute later, the display screen showing the victorious Water-types and their defeated opponents.

"_An impressive victory, pulled off by an excellent display of cooperation between coordinators and Pokémon!_" she cheered, and her voice, magnified by numerous speakers, echoed loudly through the ship. "_Now, it's time for the battle we've all been waiting for! This is the clash which will decide not only the winners of the competition, but also the King and Queen of the S.S. Anne's upcoming ball! May, Drew, Soledad, and Harley, please take the stage_!"

Drew turned towards his partner. His expression was passive, though there was a glint of excitement shining in the emerald depths of his gaze. "Let's go, May. Soledad and Harley are waiting for us."

May nodded, suddenly aware of how fast her heart seemed to be beating. Surely Drew could hear it, even across the room. Surely he could see the nervousness that was plaguing her body as if she was a beginning coordinator again—nervousness which was causing her hands to tighten into fists. She could hear the audience even through the heavy doors separating the stage from the waiting room. They were cheering, calling out her name in anticipation and support. Calling out Soledad and Harley's names. Calling out…

…Calling out _Drew's_ name.

"_If you don't make a move on your partners, then someone else will."_

As Lilian's words came flooding back into her head, the girl was shocked at the emotions, the _jealousy_, that she suddenly felt. Why should she feel jealous? Drew had lots of fans, but really, all _four_ of them were pretty popular in the coordinating world! Why should she feel so envious, so possessive..? What did she care that Drew probably had hundreds of fangirls who would die to be in May's position? It was absurd, it didn't make sense, it—

"May, hon, what's wrong?"

The brunette snapped out of her thoughts as she realized that, having arrived at the battle stage, Harley was now waving a hand in front of her vacant eyes as Drew and Soledad watched in amusement. "You zoned out there, sweetheart. My adorable Soledad just proposed that we all shake hands before starting, just so there's no hard feelings or—"

"Since when do you care about something like that, Harley? If I recall correctly, your whole grudge against me began with some comment I made about your dumb cookies."

The male coordinator twitched. "That does it, honey! You're going _down_!"

"Bring it on, you purple pansy!"

Huffing, both May and Harley then retreated to their respective sides of the stage, still glaring daggers at each other. Drew and Soledad, rolling their eyes at their partners, briefly clasped hands. "I'll go easy on you," the green-haired boy smirked, a mischievous grin on his face. His companion rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.

"Dream on, Drew. I can assure you that our Pokémon will put up a tough fight," she retaliated good-naturedly. The two coordinators then nodded at each other, before turning on their heels and walking to the ends of the battle area to join their partners. Lilian, a hint of impatience in her voice, bounced on the balls of her feet in rapt eagerness.

"Well, I'm not sure what _that_ was all about, but our two teams seem to have ended their conversations on a note of competitive determination! It's no surprise that these are our finalists, as they've all participated in contests and Grand Festivals throughout the entire Pokémon world!"

More cheers and screams chorused through the cavernous space, and May cracked a small smile as she bashfully waved at the audience. _'I guess we _do_ have a lot of fans, don't we?'_

"That's enough talking—I'm sure you guys aren't here just to hear me jabber!" Lilian continued cheerfully. "It's time to get the final round started! This is the battle which will decide our King and Queen! Coordinators, send out your Pokémon and let's get ready to go!"

* * *

Simultaneously, four voices rang through the air, echoing throughout the now quiet room as the audience leaned forward with intense interest, too absorbed in the battle to talk with their neighbors.

"Let's get moving, Flygon!"

"Skitty, come on out!"

"Time to shine, my cute Banette!"

"Pidgeot, let's go!"

The Pokémon materialized on the stage, crooning their names and ready to fight. "Begin!" Lilian called, and the audience's silence broke as cheers emanated from every spectator. Drew immediately pointed at the opponent team and commanded, "Let's start, Flygon! Use Dig and attack them from below!"

The desert dragon trilled and enthusiastically slashed at the ground with its claws, soon disappearing beneath a cloud of dusty cement that made up the stage's foundation. Banette and Pidgeot easily evaded the attack as Flygon resurfaced by leaping into the air, directly above the hole that the dragon had made.

"Skitty, use your Assist!" May suddenly ordered, and the kitten-like creature complied, a sphere of energy gathering at its paws. The shining orb glowed a bright silver, before it exploded into a myriad of powerful currents composed of stinging air—a Silver Wind attack, no doubt originally used by May's Beautifly. "Aim it into Flygon's hole!" the brunette continued, and Skitty obeyed, sending the powerful attack into the desert dragon's tunnel, where it emerged directly underneath Pidgeot and Banette.

The Ghost-type and the Flying-type screeched as the attack struck them, engulfing their bodies in a cyclone-like sphere, though their cries weren't loud enough to drown out Drew's next words as he called out, "Use DragonBreath, Flygon!"

"_Fly, flygon!_" the dragon cried as it spewed a great stream of yellow-green energy, and Pidgeot and Banette barely managed to escape before the attack caused the Silver Wind cyclone to burst into flames. Harley huffed angrily as his and Soledad's points dropped, but as Flygon soared in for another attack he called, "Banette, use Thunder!"

The room seemed to darken, even eclipsing the last glowing remnants of Skitty and Flygon's cyclone, before a thunderous crash boomed through the ship. Several people in the audience screamed as a jagged bolt of electricity jolted through the air, directly striking Flygon, though the dragon merely shrugged it off. Drew frowned.

_'Why use a Thunder attack?'_

Flygon was part Ground-type—it would be meaningless to use an Electric-type attack. Shaking away his uncertainty, the boy fixed his eyes forward. "Bad mistake, Harley. Flygon, let's try a Slash attack!"

The dragon Pokémon roared as it zoomed forward, but its claws missed the marionette creature and it crashed to the ground, unhurt but somewhat disoriented. May shot an anxious look towards her partner. "Drew, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Sweetheart, your Flygon may be immune to any damage from Thunder, but the sheer brightness of the attack can render any Pokémon as blind as a Zubat!" Harley cried, grinning. Soledad, bringing her eyes up to meet Pidgeot's gaze, ordered, "Use Steel Wing, Pidgeot! Don't let them escape!"

The Flying-type trilled out its name as it flapped its wings furiously, a rain of metallic feathers shooting to the ground like a deadly meteor shower. The steel blades impaled the surface of the stage, and Flygon and Skitty were forced to dive into the desert dragon's tunnel, squealing in panicked tones as the razor-like barrage barely missed them. Drew growled in frustration as his and May's points dropped, now lower than Harley and Soledad's. A startled gasp grabbed his attention and the green-haired boy whipped around to swiftly glance at his partner, who was staring at the time limit displayed on the scoreboard.

Drew felt his blood run cold.

There was less than a minute of time left. Soledad and Harley would win if the match ended while their points were higher than May and Drew's. "Grab Skitty and Fly out of there, Flygon!" Drew yelled, and the two Pokémon immediately shot out of the tunnel, the desperation in the coordinator's voice fueling their resolve. Banette and Pidgeot, standing in the forest of metal feathers leftover from the Flying-type's Steel Wing attack, lifted their heads to stare at their airborne opposition, loyally awaiting a command. Harley stepped forward, his long hair whipping about his face.

"Banette, use Thunder again!"

The marionette Pokémon complied, its unsettling eyes glowing as the room darkened once more, rumbling growls of thunder soon escalading into a deafening crash as the jagged spear of electricity split the air, heading straight towards Flygon and Skitty. The kitten Pokémon squirmed in the Dragon-type's hold, and Flygon could only hover in the air, unsure of what to do as the powerful attack approached them. Suddenly, May jumped up and waved her arms frantically.

"I've got it! Flygon, drop Skitty, now!" she screamed. The desert dragon released the Normal-type a split-second before the electricity struck, and Flygon roared as it absorbed the attack, hovering unharmed as the Thunder slowly died away.

"Now, Skitty!" May commanded, punching her fist forward. "Let's finish this! Use Mimic!"

Airborne, the kitten Pokémon squealed in determination as Banette's Thunder attack shot from its paws, directly down at the two Pokémon below.

The powerful attack struck, the many metallic feathers on the ground conducting the electricity until the stage was engulfed by a flashing orb of jagged lightning. Flygon swooped down and Skitty landed on its green back, the two Pokémon zooming away and landing a safe distance from the thunderous chaos in the middle of the stage, which was slowly beginning to die away. As the smoke and dust cleared, Soledad and Harley's faces fell upon catching sight of their fainted Pokémon.

Lilian jumped up, cheering as applause filled the air. "We have our winners! Drew and May have beaten Harley and Soledad! Excellent work, coordinators and Pokémon!"

_'We won! We actually won!'_

May giggled as she bounced on her heels and pulled Skitty into her arms, laughing as the Normal-type nuzzled her cheek in affection. Drew grinned and patted Flygon's head, and the desert dragon flapped its wings excitedly, obviously proud of their achievement. Their opponents walked up, having already returned their exhausted Pokémon to their Pokéballs, looking both disappointed and happy. Soledad smiled and congratulated them, nudging Harley in the ribs after the purple-haired coordinator failed to say anything. The man sighed, rubbing the back of his head in a half-heartedly sullen way.

"You beat me again, honey," he pouted, glaring at May, who grinned at the lack of any real malice in his voice. Soledad, hesitating a bit, reached out and tucked her arm around his shoulder, causing the purple-haired male's expression to brighten into a smile. Drew, leaving Flygon's side, walked up to May and nodded awkwardly, a blush rising in his face.

"That Mimic attack was some quick thinking," he said finally, tugging at his hair distractedly. "I'd have never thought of that. I… You've really become a great coordinator, May. I really—"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as the brunette squealed and pulled the green-haired boy into a hug, giggling as his face flushed red. He awkwardly hugged her back, a small smile curling his lips as the audience, Lilian included, burst into another explosion of cheers.


	6. The Dress Fiasco

**This chapter is shorter and somewhat filler-ish. It preludes to the next chapter, which should be the preparations and the beginning of the ball.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

"Let's see… Here we go, May. Which one would you like to wear?"

May blinked in slight confusion as Soledad held up two dresses at shoulder-height. The redheaded coordinator frowned when she noticed the brunette's surprised expression, cocking her head to the side in befuddlement. "Hey, what's wrong? Do you not like either of them?"

The brown-haired girl shook her head furiously and gave her friend a reassuring smile, frantically protesting, "No, of course not! They're beautiful, Soledad. I was just a bit confused, that's all. I thought you only had one extra dress."

"Oh." With a somewhat half-hearted chuckle, the red-haired woman leaned back and crossed her arms behind her head, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. After a moment, she returned her gaze to her younger companion and gave a small shrug, a sheepish smile on her face. "That's true—well, it _was_ true. I'm not wearing a dress to the ball anymore, remember?"

May winced and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, her face coloring. "Oh, right. I… I'm sorry, Soledad. I forgot." She blinked as her older friend suddenly chuckled again, no longer half-heartedly, but genuine, cheerful laughter. "Wait, what's so funny?"

"Your… your expression!" Soledad managed between giggles. One slender hand was held up to her mouth, unsuccessfully stifling her laughter. "You looked so _sorry_ for me, May! As if this were a life-or-death situation—"

"Well, it practically is, isn't it?" May protested, looking comically irritated at the fact that she was being laughed at. "This is important, Soledad. Think about your reputation! What will all the other coordinators say?"

After taking several deep breaths, the red-haired woman returned to her normal, calm demeanor, though her cheeks were still slightly flushed from laughter. "Oh, May," she sighed, smiling lightly at her indignant companion. "These kinds of things don't seem as important when you get older. Besides, the spotlight will be on you and Drew, won't it?"

"People will still notice if the Kanto Grand Festival champion shows up to the ball in a suit," May protested. She was now grinning as well, though she tried to hide her amusement by arranging her expression into a rather forced look of stern disapproval. The brunette leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Just imagine the scandal it'll cause! 'Soledad, one of the greatest coordinators in the Pokémon world, is brainwashed by purple-haired, girly, cross-dressing… er… maniac!'"

"Oh, _May_…"

The two females' friendly bickering continued until the evening faded to night, and May, her dress tucked safely under her arm, finally bade her friend goodnight and returned to her room, a cheerful skip in her step. Collapsing onto her mattress tiredly, the brunette giggled and hugged the dress against her chest, a wide smile threatening to take over her face.

* * *

May's green-haired partner rested against the ship's railing several floors higher, calmly looking out over the water. The azure depths of the ocean mirrored the moon beautifully, the crescent of light shining through the dark sky and casting its reflection across the calm waters. Emerald eyes closed, relaxing among the tranquil silence, which was only broken by the light sounds of gentle waves caressing the ship's hull. Drew slowly opened his eyes and quietly fixed his gaze on the object he held in his hand; another red rose. He turned it over in his fingers, carefully avoiding the sharp thorns. His eyes clouded slightly.

May _had_ grown a lot since they had first met. She was certainly an impressive coordinator and, while she was still prone to angry outbursts, the brunette seemed far less likely to explode than she had been when she'd been first starting out.

So, now what?

It was becoming harder and harder to find things to criticize about May—Indeed, after yesterday's battle, her quick thinking had certainly earned her a great deal of respect as a coordinator… And while Drew was suave with his fangirls, he definitely found it harder to interact with someone he'd consider his equal.

"Well, what should I do, May?" he muttered to himself, sighing and turning his gaze to the clear night sky. "I've always treated you like a rookie. Like someone I needed to look out for. I—"

He broke off, both from embarrassment and from confusion as he glanced back at the lively bar a few yards back from where he stood. Several men, emboldened by the drinks in their hands, seemed to be harassing a beautiful young woman with amethyst hair and a pretty dress wrapped around her slender form. Drew raised an eyebrow and fingered Absol's Pokéball as if debating on whether or not he should help. After watching for a few seconds longer, however, he returned his hands to his pockets with a wry smile.

The young woman didn't seem to need any assistance, and several well-aimed kicks left most of her tormentors curled up on the ground in pain. One man staggered over angrily, grabbed her shoulder with a meaty hand, and—

"Unless you want my cool Cacturne to Needle Arm your ugly face in, you'd better back off!" the 'woman' shrieked. Drew's eye twitched, suddenly feeling the urge to slap his forehead in realization.

_'Oh, Arceus.'_

* * *

"To be perfectly honest," the green-haired boy remarked in slight amusement, "you _do_ look like a girl. Those guys were drunk—how were they supposed to know?"

"Shut up." Harley let out an angry sigh, absently tugging fistfuls of his long, purple hair in frustration. "Well, what about my hands, sweetheart? Look at my hands—my hands alone should have made it obvious!"

Drew stared. Harley had the most feminine hands he'd ever seen: long and slender, with shining, manicured nails. The green-haired boy had no idea what his rival was talking about.

"I have a guy's body structure, don't I?" the purple-haired coordinator shrieked, glaring daggers at the bar. He was pointedly ignoring Drew's silence and seemed utterly oblivious to the fact that nearby people were beginning to point and whisper behind their hands.

He did, but he was certainly slim enough to, under the influence of excessive alcohol, be mistaken for a female. Drew sighed. "You're wearing a dress," he stated finally, as if that statement alone would crush any further argument. His rival huffed indignantly.

"So? I like dresses! They make me feel pretty!"

"I think you look pretty enough without the dress," Drew retaliated wearily, and his face then flushed in mortification when he realized what he had just said. The gossiping people behind them began whispering more loudly, their eyes shifting back and forth between the two coordinators. "Ugh. I did _not_ mean that the way it sounded," he groaned, whipping around and turning to leave.

Harley blinked. "Where are you going, hon?"

"I'm going to scrub out my mouth with soap and pray that I'll forget those words ever came out of my mouth. If that doesn't work, then I'm going to go cry in the corner."

The older coordinator painted a tearful, hurt look on his face which probably would have fooled anyone except his green-headed rival. When Drew showed no sign of turning around or apologizing, the amethyst-haired male huffed and stalked away with a pointed 'hmph!'

Perhaps May would appreciate his exquisite taste in fashion more than her partner had.


	7. Talk To Me

**Quite a bit of character development for Drew and Harley here. Does this chapter make sense? I sure hope so.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

The S.S. Anne's stage-like Contest Hall was nearly unrecognizable. The floor had been polished so thoroughly that it seemed to glow beneath the bright overhead lights shining from the ceiling. Dozens of coordinators and vacationers milled around the cavernous space, releasing their Pokémon to help prep the room for the ball. Amidst the random murmurs and chattering of the various trainers, two voices, both female, distinctly stood out from the crowd:

"Go, Squirtle! Water Gun, now!"

"Okay, Lapras, let's go! Get ready to use Sheer Cold!"

The owner of the first voice punched a fist forward, prompting her small, turtle-like Pokémon to leap forward, releasing a thick blast of water from its mouth. May grinned as the admiring crowd gasped, their eyes widening as the spidery streams of liquid rose high into the air, glittering like an elegant fountain. At the same time, Soledad's Lapras began to glow, crooning softly as a bluish aura of icy power filled its body. The redheaded coordinator beside May narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze fixed on the airborne fountain of water, waiting.

Finally, the woman nodded, meeting her Pokémon's eye and smiling. Lapras surged forward determinedly, letting loose a blast of freezing energy that seemed to chill the entire room for a short moment. Squirtle's Water Gun froze, the cascades of water solidifying into shining arcs of ice before a single drop had even hit the ground.

There was a stunned silence, which was soon broken by wild cheers and applause. May smiled and waved modestly at the awed crowd, before turning to her companion with a look of slight annoyance on her face. "Where are Drew and Harley?" the brunette sighed in exasperation. "They should be here helping us set up the decorations for later tonight."

"Hey, don't ask me. Lilian may know, though…" Soledad glanced around the sea of people and, finally spotting the female announcer, plucked her from the crowd. "Sorry, Lilian, but have you seen those lazy partners of ours? The decorations are coming along great, but we could probably use their help."

May nodded vigorously, still looking rather annoyed. "Yeah," she interjected grumpily, "Soledad and I are busier than a one-legged Hitmonlee in a butt-kicking contest!"

Lilian gave the brunette a perturbed look, before shrugging and gesturing towards one of the far corners of the room. "Well, I don't see your boys anywhere, but Roselia and Banette are over there."

Sure enough, the two Pokémon were visible amid a group of impressed admirers. Roselia was waving its rose-like arms as if it were dancing, producing a shower of fluttering petals that filled the air with a sweet, fragrant scent. Banette's zippered mouth was curled up in a smile, making the marionette creature look somewhat less frightening than it did while battling. Blue Will-O-Wisp flames shot from the ghost Pokémon's arms, illuminating the surrounding area with a dramatic, azure glow. It was obvious that both creatures were showing off, basking in the attention and praise being showered upon them.

May shook her head in amusement. "They're a bunch of attention-seekers, don't you think?" she giggled.

"Yeah," her companion sighed. "Just like their trainers."

* * *

Roselia and Banette initially looked a bit put out when the two female coordinators pulled them from the spotlight, but they quickly regained their composure, fixing May and Soledad with looks of curiosity after retreating to a more secluded part of the Contest Hall.

"_Selia? Rose, roselia?_" the thorn Pokémon prompted as it crossed its rose-like arms, giving off an air of snarky coolness that so closely resembled Drew's that May nearly burst out laughing. Harley's marionette-like creature, on the other hand, merely drifted through the air in a lazy, almost bored, fashion.

"Sorry to break up the little performance you two had going there," May giggled, not at all fazed when the two Pokémon glared at her in a half-hearted way. "We need to find Drew and Harley so we can get their butts over here to help out. Are they in their rooms?"

The brunette coordinator received two responses—Roselia shook its head while Banette shrugged and gave a slight nod. "Huh? So Harley's in his room and Drew's somewhere else on the ship?"

Both Pokémon nodded.

May turned to her redheaded companion and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Soledad… I'll track down Drew. You go over to Harley's room and haul his carcass down here, 'kay?"

"Sure. I—" Soledad paused, a look of confusion spreading across her face. Roselia had hopped over to her side, tugging the woman's skirt insistently.

"_Roselia, roselia_."

"Hmm? What's Roselia doing, Soledad? Do you think—_Oh my Arceus_!" May started in fright as Banette suddenly pounced on her shoulder. The Ghost-type raised a clawed hand and pointed towards a nearby flight of stairs that lead to the guest rooms.

"_Bane, banette_."

"W-what? I'm sorry, but I d-don't understand…" the brunette stammered, nervously trying to dislodge the marionette Pokémon from its comfortable perch on her shoulder. Soledad, however, blinked in realization.

"May," she said slowly, "I think they're trying to tell us that I should see Drew and you should see Harley."

* * *

"This doesn't make sense to me," May sighed. The girl's footsteps echoed through the hall as she trailed behind her rival's spooky Ghost-type. "Shouldn't Soledad be doing this instead? After all, he's _her_ partner, not mine. Unless…"

Suddenly, something clicked in May's brain.

"Oh, it's so _obvious_! Why didn't I see it before?" she giggled, slapping her forehead with a gloved hand. "Banette, there's something going on with Harley, isn't there? And that _something_ must involve Soledad, since you want me to talk to him and not her!"

The Pokémon huffed and mumbled its name in an almost embarrassed manner, which the brunette took as an affirmative. The girl punched her fist into the air victoriously, letting out a small cheer. "I knew it! I knew there was something going on between those two!" she laughed. The ghost Pokémon rolled its eyes and then squeaked in surprise when May pulled it into an unexpected hug.

Elsewhere on the ship, Soledad had come to the same conclusion.

"So, Drew's having problems with his feelings for May? Can't say I'm surprised," the red-haired woman mused, walking half a pace behind the green-haired coordinator's Pokémon. "He really does like her. It took him long enough to realize it, don't you agree?"

"_Rose_."

"Still won't admit it, though… What a stubborn kid."

"_Rose_," Roselia sighed in agreement. Finally having reached their destination, the thorn Pokémon hopped through the doors leading to the ship's deck and chirped, raising one arm to point at a very familiar chartreuse-haired boy looking out over the railing. "_Roselia roselia_!"

Drew stiffened, realizing he had company. He whipped around and visibly relaxed upon seeing Soledad, the tension leaving his shoulders almost instantaneously. He flipped his hair automatically, leaning back against the metal railing.

"What are you doing here, Soledad? Did Roselia bring you here?" he asked after a moment, frowning suspiciously at his Pokémon. Roselia merely rolled its eyes in exasperation. "Roselia!" the boy snapped, crossing his arms in annoyance. "I told you I was fine. I said I could handle this on my own."

The Grass and Poison-type Pokémon turned away, clearly not believing its trainer's words. "_Selia_," it scoffed, as if to say, 'yeah right.'

"Roselia—"

"Drew," Soledad interrupted sternly. "Don't get mad at your Pokémon. Roselia was worried about you. Just talk to me, okay? Why do you seem so down?"

"I _really_ don't want to talk about this."

The redheaded coordinator sighed, planting her hands on her hips in an assertive manner. "Oh, you'll talk to me," she said, her voice uncharacteristically forceful. "You'll talk, or else we're just going to go around in circles. I'm not blind, Drew, and neither are your Pokémon. Why did you look so startled when Roselia and I first came up here? Did you think I was someone else?"

Drew deliberately turned back towards the ocean, not answering. His female rival's eyes softened.

"Did you think I was May?" she asked gently. Drew was silent for a long moment. Then he let out a frustrated sigh.

"_Arceus_, Soledad. I swear, you're even nosier than Harley," he groaned, rubbing his head.

"_What_? I am not!"

"Yeah, you are, actually. You're nosier than a… a Probopass!" the boy snickered. His older companion gaped at him. "Drew!" she sputtered indignantly.

"Look," Drew continued after a moment, his voice quiet, "I appreciate your concern, Soledad. I really do. But everything has changed—between me and May, I mean. She's not a rookie anymore. I don't even know how to talk to her now."

"Drew, May hasn't changed," the female coordinator stated gently. "The only thing that's different is the way you see her now. If anyone has changed, it's probably you. You're growing up, Drew. I'm proud of you."

"I…" the green-haired boy swallowed and distractedly swiped a sleeve over his eyes. "I… thanks, Soledad. I think… I think I understand now."

* * *

"Harley, in terms of being a total idiot, I think you've just transcended into godhood," May groaned, grinding her teeth in frustration. "Do you really expect me to believe that your electric toothbrush just _jumped_ out of your hand and landed in your hair?"

"That's what I said, darling," the amethyst-haired male said meekly, wincing in pain when the brunette yanked at the aforementioned toothbrush tangled in his purple locks. "Ouch! Arceus damn it, you're _hurting_ me, honey!"

"Stop whining! Sweet Rayquaza, when Banette brought me down here, I thought… er… ah, nevermind…"

"What were you about to say, sweetheart?"

"Um… I was going to call you an idiot again," May said evasively. Harley frowned.

"Now why did you have to go and hurt me like that, hon?" he sighed dramatically.

"Because it's true."

"I'm crushed, my little gingerbread cookie. Really, I am." The male coordinator wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and crossed his arms, his expression changing into one of curiosity. "I'm being serious, though. May, hon, please tell me what you were going to say."

May sighed inwardly at his persistence. "If you must know, I thought you wanted to talk about Soledad, okay?"

Harley blinked, seeming to temporarily forget about the dental appliance still stuck in his hair. "Soledad?"

The brunette nodded, shrugging slightly. "Yeah. Originally, she was going to come get you—you know, since the Contest Hall needs to be decorated and everything. But Banette thought that I should come instead. I thought…" May hesitated. "…I thought there was something going on between you two that you wanted to talk about."

"…Oh." His expression seemed quite blank.

May furrowed her eyebrows, frowning slightly in thought. Had Banette been mistaken? It seemed unlikely, but…

Suddenly, the girl's eyes widened. "You're blushing!" she squealed in realization. "I was right, wasn't I? You like her! You like Soledad!"

The older coordinator huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Fine! I like her, okay?" he snarled. His shoulders seemed to slump slightly. "I… May, hon, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Oh… N-no, it's fine. I shouldn't have pushed you." May bit her lip. Tact wasn't exactly her forte, especially around Harley. It was odd to hear a genuine apology from him, though.

"…Look, darling, I really like having you and grass-hair around. You two always beat me in contests, but that doesn't change the fact that the four of us are a happy family, see? But Soledad is special to me. She's the only person who never treats me like I'm… you know, different." The purple-haired male sighed and patted Banette on the head when the Ghost-type nudged him comfortingly.

"Harley—"

"Save it, sweetheart. I… I'm not angry, but please, hon, don't lie to me." He rubbed his temples wearily. "I've seen the way you look at me. You don't need to lie."

The brunette lowered her gaze to the floor, her eyes stinging. She gently wrapped her arms around her rival, resting her head against his back. His shoulders were shaking, and she knew she wasn't the only one crying.

* * *

"You and May disappeared for a long time," Lilian remarked in a low voice. "We had to finish decorating without you."

"Sorry about that," Soledad murmured, smiling apologetically to the female announcer. The redhead stood near the center of the ballroom-like Contest Hall, side by side with her partner and several other trainers who had participated in the contest. The announcer waved away the apology easily, grinning brightly. "Oh, don't worry about it. The rest of us managed fine, as you can see."

She paused for a moment, and then added with a grin, "It was a really cute idea for you two to cross-dress. Everyone wants to get their picture taken with you and Harley, you know. I should set up a photo booth for you guys."

"If you say so," the red-haired woman replied, rolling her eyes and giggling. Her aquamarine eyes sparkled as the main doors slowly opened, causing all the chatter to immediately cease.

"Took them long enough," Harley sighed, but he smiled slightly as May and Drew nervously entered the room, both blushing as the crowd around them burst into cheer. Drew wore a dark green suit that almost looked black in the dimming light, while May wore a red silk gown which, despite being slightly long, still looked quite pretty on her. Her bandana was gone and in its place was a red rose, tucked neatly into her hair.

They were holding hands.

Drew took a deep breath. His heart was pounding and he swallowed, wishing that he could be suave and cool like he normally was. The ballroom darkened, the lights dimming as a safe, peaceful aura seemed to fill the atmosphere. In the corner, a pianist began a haunting, tranquil melody.

"May," he whispered finally, "can I have this dance?"


	8. Happy Family

**It's over! Many thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed this story! :D  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

May willed herself not to trip. Or step on Drew's feet. Or pass out. Or any combination of the three.

Nervous Butterfrees were dancing in her stomach as Drew led the dance, her hand trembling slightly from where it rested on his shoulder. He squeezed her other hand gently, reassuringly, and his eyes met hers. His cheeks were pink and his eyebrows were furrowed slightly in concentration.

The boy pulled her closer and whispered, "May, _relax_. You're doing great, so don't worry about anything, okay?"

The brunette nodded numbly, though in the back of her mind she felt a small feeling of victory when she noticed that, despite his cool exterior, Drew seemed to be just as nervous as she was. The girl leaned in close when her partner twirled her around, her grip on his hand becoming almost painful. "Drew," she groaned, "I feel like I'm going to throw up."

The chartreuse-haired coordinator blinked in horror but, to his credit, did not pull away. "Arceus, you'd better _not_!" he managed in a mortified whisper. "This is a brand new suit."

"I can't help it! I get nervous when it's quiet like this. It doesn't help that everyone's staring at us, either," the girl retaliated defensively. As they slowly revolved on the spot she snuck a quick glance around and sighed in relief, seeing that their audience hadn't noticed their whispered conversation over the low tones of the piano. And then, as her male partner dipped her towards the ground, she caught sight of an unmistakable flash of purple.

She had never been so happy to see Harley in her life.

The audience's undivided attention on the nervous May and Drew was suddenly drawn away as the flamboyant and effeminate man swept onto the stage, practically dragging Soledad with him. After bowing in a comically exaggerated fashion, Harley grabbed the redheaded woman's hands and twirled her around so enthusiastically that they nearly ran over Drew in the process. The green-haired boy stumbled back and accidently bumped against the snack table, upending several cups of punch onto the floor. Soledad shot the indignant boy an apologetic glance that quickly became one of shock as she was suddenly thrown into the air and caught against her partner's chest.

There was a smattering of applause from the somewhat shocked audience and, as if that was the cue for everyone else to begin, the other couples began piling onto the floor, the nearly silent atmosphere breaking as the chatter of voices and laughter filled the air. May heaved a great sigh of relief, the nervousness already ebbing from her body. "Thanks for that, Harley," she said with a slightly hollow laugh. "I thought I was going to be sick if we were the only ones out there for much longer."

"Darling, I couldn't just let you two hog the spotlight," the purple-haired male huffed, rolling his eyes. He then batted his lashes at the brunette's green-haired partner, who recoiled slightly in disgust. "Drewy-kins, do you mind if I steal May for a dance?"

"Yes, actually," Drew grumbled. His protests either went unheard or were deliberately ignored, and he could only glare at the man indignantly as May was pulled away. At his side, Soledad shrugged and offered her hand, smiling to break the awkward situation. "Lighten up, Drew. It doesn't do you any good to get jealous like that," she chided lightheartedly, much to her younger rival's annoyance.

"I am _not_ jealous of that cookie-obsessed weirdo!"

* * *

May was nearly out of breath, struggling to keep up with her purple-haired rival's energetic movements. Soledad's dress was a few inches too long on the brunette, and several times she nearly lost her footing when the silky material caught under Harley's foot. "Slow down!" she finally hissed, yanking her arms out of his grasp and crossing them angrily. "Are you trying to kill me? You dance way too fast!"

He bit his lip and would have looked quite guilty if not for the amused sparkle in his eyes. "Well, honey, why didn't you just _tell_ me?" he teased.

"You probably would have just ignored me, then."

"…Ah. Good point." He took her arms and began again, at a much slower pace. "Better?" he asked smartly. May stuck her tongue out in response.

"Much," she smirked. Her voice was thick with sarcasm, and she felt slightly disappointed when he didn't appear to be fazed. "I really hate you, you know that?"

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"Mmm." May stole a quick peek around the ballroom, eyes pausing when they swept over the mismatched pair dancing a few yards away. Soledad seemed to be having a good time, looking quite beautiful even when she lacked a gown, the feminine curves of her body softening the sharp angles of the suit she wore. Drew appeared a little more uncomfortable, looking rather out of place as he struggled to dance with the older coordinator, who was quite a bit taller than him. The brunette giggled—and was nearly overcome with emotion as a wave of affection swept through her body. The four of them _were_ a happy family—sometimes on the same team, other times on opposing sides— but always, _always_ together.

"Hey, Harley," May murmured, smiling, "maybe I don't hate you so much after all."

He smiled back and, despite the somewhat feminine aspect of his features, the girl thought he looked almost unbearably handsome when his face wasn't twisted into an angry sneer. His green eyes were shining, devoid of their usual jealousy and malice. "Your people skills are terrible, honey," he grinned, "but I suppose I'll let it slide."

The song ended a few seconds later and the male coordinator pulled away, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Oh, Drew-Drew!" he called loudly.

The chartreuse-haired boy twitched and slowly turned around, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to hide under the snack table. "Harley," he began slowly, "don't… _ever_… call me that again. And if you wanted a dance, then you can just forget it!" May sighed and shook her head, but then squeaked in alarm upon feeling Drew's hand on her arm. The boy dragged her away pointedly, still shooting deathly glares at the purple-haired male.

Harley rubbed the back of his head in amusement. "…He really didn't need to be so rude. I was just going to ask him if he wanted May back," he huffed. "I thought Drew-Drew was going to send his Pokémon after me if I kept him from his girlfriend for one more song."

"You see it too, don't you?" Soledad giggled, taking his arm. "Have you been playing matchmaker this whole time?"

He nodded, and she added teasingly, "You're evil. You know that, don't you?"

He kissed her.

And this time, she kissed him back.

* * *

Drew twitched again. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Oh, shush. I think it's cute."

"Cute? _Cute_? Harley's involved, so if anything, it's… _disturbing_!"

"Drew, you're making a scene," May sighed, giggling. Her partner sputtered slightly, looking indignant.

"I am _not_ making a scene," he grumbled. He then flipped back his hair in an attempt to regain his composure. "Well… You look nice tonight, May."

'_Great job, Drew. Way to change the subject_,' a tiny voice in his head chided playfully.

"O-oh. Thanks, Drew," the brunette stammered, blushing. There was an awkward pause. The gears in Drew's head were working overdrive, desperately searching for something to say.

'_Think, think! Arceus, pull yourself together, Drew. For Rayquaza's sake, just _say_ something_!'

"I… er…"

'_Think! Think! Thinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthink_—'

"Umm… May, can I…" he began awkwardly, breaking off and shuffling his feet. She blinked curiously, looking almost hopeful.

"Can… can I kiss you?" he blurted, flushing. He grabbed her shoulders, perhaps out of fear that she'd back away, and gazed into her eyes. He saw his own frightened reflection staring back at him from her cerulean irises, but there was something else there, too:

Love.

She blushed as well, staring down at her feet, looking more like the nervous, spunky rookie he used to tease than the new, confident rival he'd begun to see her as. He placed a hand, trembling, beneath her chin, tilting her head back so he could meet her eyes once more. His fingers then shifted, rising to touch the crimson flower tucked behind her ear. "Roses look great on you," he managed finally, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He was vaguely aware that their faces were slowly moving closer, and that his eyes were beginning to close.

"Thanks," she laughed lightly, nervously. "And you look fantastic in green."

Their lips met and, for that brief moment, everything else in the world seemed to fade to insignificance. The music and chatter melted into silence, the dim lights of the ballroom sinking away into undisturbed darkness. All that mattered was that they were here, together, in each other's arms. Alone in the world, each at the other's side, undisturbed…

…Or not.

A bright flash of light seemed to explode in front of their eyes, forcing the two coordinators apart. A purple-haired male stood near them, hastily hiding a camera behind his back as his partner, a woman with long, coral-colored locks, shook with silent laughter.

"_HARLEY_!"

* * *

Vermillion City loomed over the horizon, its tall, imposing skyscrapers shadowing the harbor below. As she stepped onto solid land, May stretched her tired muscles, eager to let her Pokémon out for some decent exercise after being stuck on the ship for the past week. She giggled, suddenly launching herself into a clumsy cartwheel that nearly knocked over a large display of colorful flowers. Hearing laughter behind her, she turned to see her three rivals, each traveling down a different path, to a different destination.

There was Soledad, perhaps heading to her hometown of Pewter City, looking quite mature and composed amidst the crowds of screaming tourists exchanging tearful goodbyes. There was a wide smile on her face as she waved to the brunette, her other hand shielding her face from the bright sunlight.

Harley was on his way back to Slateport City and was currently wearing his 'Mayley' outfit, complete with a gaudy red bandana tied over his hair. He had already released his Cacturne and was shouting something about how he was going to beat her the next time they faced each other in a contest, all while blowing kisses and waving in an overenthusiastic manner.

And Drew…

Drew was heading to LaRousse City, his hands in his pockets, Roselia walking at his side. Already beginning to be swallowed up by the crowd, he turned and met May's eyes, just for a moment.

And he smiled.


	9. All Aboard!

**Hey guys!**

**I have a sequel planned for continuing the story of our favorite four coordinators. It will be called _Train Of Thought_, and there is a little info about it on my profile page. The sequel may be slow in the making, because I'm not into the coordinator-verse as much as I was back when I wrote Rivalry Cruise, but I'm pretty adamant about not letting this idea go to waste. It will take off where this epilogue leaves off, and I already have some pretty good ideas planned... can you say 'ferris wheel?' :D**

**Right now the plan is to focus on the Pokémon Musical, but I'm considering swapping that out in favor of BW2's PokéStar Studios, which seems more interesting. If that is the case, this epilogue will be adjusted accordingly. We'll see how it turns out! Thanks for being patient with me, since I know my updating schedule leaves a lot to be desired, haha. :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

"Welcome to Unova!"

The call came from a redheaded young woman with bright blue eyes and a barrette modeled after an airplane's propellor clipped in her hair. Grinning, she placed her gloved hands on her hips and nodded her head at the aircraft parked on the landing strip a few yards away. "You should feel honored!" Skyla teased in a friendly, lighthearted fashion. "My planes are mostly just for shipping cargo. I don't let just anyone ride on them... but I do make exceptions for certain people. Great trainers like Cynthia, for example." The Gym Leader quirked an eyebrow. "You had a lot of recommendations, but I guess I never formally asked. Are you a trainer?"

The recipient of her question, a young girl with brunette hair under a green bandana, laughed and shrugged her shoulders a little. "To be perfectly honest, Ash was more of a trainer than I ever was," she said. Her eyes brightened, and she smirked mischievously. "Me, I'm a Pokémon coordinator... one of the best in all of Hoenn, in fact!"

Skyla nodded, then paused and apologetically tilted her head to one side. "Um... sorry, but what's a coordinator?"

The brunette nearly fell over. "W-w-what do you _mean_, 'what's a coordinator?'" she sputtered in shock. "A coordinator is someone who specializes in competing in Pokémon contests! Don't you guys have contests and Grand Festivals here in Unova?"

"Well... not exactly." The girl looked as though she wanted to hop back on the plane and take the next flight back to Hoenn, so Skyla hastened to add, "We have something similar, though, called the Pokémon Musical. I've heard it's a lot of fun."

"A Pokémon Musical? That sounds interesting. Where do you have to go to participate in it?"

"The Musical Theater is in Nimbasa. Huge city, can't miss it. There are lots of other things there too, you know. Sport stadiums, lots of shops, even an amusement park." The redhead tapped her chin in thought. "Elesa says the ferris wheel has been a particularly popular spot lately."

The coordinator's expression was bright with interest. "What would be the fastest way to get to this Nimbasa place?"

Frowning, the Flying-type Gym Leader crossed her arms for a moment, pondering. "Well, we're in Anville Town right now, which is miles away from pretty much _everything_. There is a subway system that runs through all of Unova, however, and the main station is situated right in the middle of Nimbasa. One of the train lines makes a trip here to Anville every couple hours, so it would probably be easiest to get there that way. Your other choice would be to return to Mistralton City with me after I finish dropping off some shipments, but then you'd have to hike it the rest of the way there. I think just taking the subway would be way easier. In fact—" She dug a gloved hand into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled pad of paper and pen, scribbling into it.

"Here you go," she said after a few moments, ripping out the sheet and shoving it into the brunette's hand. "Train fare isn't too expensive, but still—if you show this to the conductors, they'll know you're mine and Elesa's guest. Plus, now you have my autograph!" she joked.

The girl blushed. "T-thank you!"

Skyla nodded. The shrill whistle of a locomotive suddenly rang through the air, and she craned her neck and squinted into the distance. "There's the train now," she hummed. The Gym Leader turned back to face the coordinator and coughed meaningfully. "You should probably get over to the station so you don't miss it."

The younger female was silent for a short moment, then shook her head with a small smile. "You said the train runs to Nimbasa every couple hours, didn't you? If that's the case... well, I think I might just wait for the next one."

"Eh?" Skyla blinked. "Well, whatever. It's your choice. Are you going to do some sightseeing here in Anville first? It's a great spot for tourists, that's why half of my planes end up making stops here to drop off cargo."

"I wasn't really thinking about sightseeing. It's just..." The brunette turned to gaze at the horizon, and then at the approaching train. She glanced back at the Flying-type specialist, and her sapphire-colored eyes were shining.

"You see," May said simply, "I'm waiting for a few friends."

* * *

**See you guys then. :)**


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